Pharmacists ‘must engage with LPNs as soon as possible’

Pharmacists across England are being called upon to engage proactively with the new NHS Local Professional Networks (LPNs) in order to ensure they play a prominent role in future healthcare provision.

A call to action has been issued by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, Pharmacy Voice and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to ensure this happens.

By April 2013, all primary care trusts and strategic health authorities will be abolished and replaced with commissioning structures that include approximately 30 pharmacy LPNs, which will feed into commissioning decisions and engage with local representative committees.

However, the industry organisations have warned that pharmacists cannot wait for this deadline if they wish to create effective new working relationships and operating cultures.

The pharmacy bodies said in a joint statement: "LPNs are the opportunity for pharmacists to put medicines at the heart of commissioning and directly improve local services – we mustn't let this opportunity go begging."

Earlier this year, Pharmacy Voice called on the government to acknowledge the key roles pharmacists could play in the delivery of NHS flu vaccination programmes.